He took out his phone and opened Japan's equivalent of Yelp to see if there were any good restaurants nearby that were still open.
Soon, Toru settled on a ramen shop.
He leisurely left the Western-style house and didn't drive, choosing to walk instead, mainly to get familiar with the surrounding environment.
Coming out onto the road, across the street was Asukayama Park, a famous cherry blossom viewing spot. However, it was only early March, and the cherry blossoms were still about a month away from full bloom.
The ramen shop was two kilometers from Toru's place. He walked slowly without rushing, and after about twenty minutes, he reached his destination.
The ramen shop wasn't big. It looked more like an izakaya. The shop name started with "Sugoi Ramen," which, in plain terms, meant "Awesome Ramen."
Seeing the name, Toru smiled and walked in.
"How many in your party?"
"One."
"Then please sit wherever you like."
The chef behind the counter greeted him warmly.
The shop was full of overtime workers sitting in pairs, chatting while eating. Toru found an empty seat and sat down.
Beside him was a woman sitting alone. She had a mature aura, beautiful features, and looked stylish and cool.
She wore a vest over a long white coat similar to a doctor's, her black hair falling loosely down her back. At the moment, she was enthusiastically slurping ramen.
"Boss, more noodles."
The woman called out loudly.
"Got it!"
The boss stepped away from the large pot, picked up noodles from another pot using long chopsticks, placed them in a bowl, and handed it to her.
"No smoking here. You smoke and drink every day. That's why you can't find a boyfriend."
The boss saw her pull out a cigarette and immediately warned her.
Judging from his tone, he clearly knew her well. She must have been a regular.
"Tsk. Boss, you really know how to poke where it hurts."
The woman clicked her tongue irritably, but she still put the cigarette back. She glanced around, and when her eyes landed on Toru sitting beside her, they lit up.
"Yo, handsome guy, do you have a girlfriend?"
Toru was stunned. Before he could speak, the boss laughed and scolded, "Hiratsuka, don't scare my customers. And looking at this kid's age, he's still a high school student, right?"
"You're already this old, and you're a teacher. You want to go after younger kids and even commit a crime? Be careful or I'll call the cops."
The woman frowned. "Stop exposing my embarrassing past."
Then she turned back to Toru. "Handsome guy, ignore him. Let's get to know each other. My name is Hiratsuka Shizuka. You're not really a high school student, right?"
If he was, she would have no choice but to step back. That would be like dating her own student. She still had her pride.
"Fujiwara Toru. I'll be a university student in two days when the semester starts."
Toru smiled gently as he introduced himself.
"Oh? Where did you go to high school? Maybe I know your teacher. How were your grades? Which university did you get into? It's okay if you didn't do well, just say it honestly."
"I've taught third-year high school students too. One exam doesn't determine your whole life."
Shizuka spoke casually and naturally, her teacher temperament showing.
"I went to Shuchiin Academy for my third year. As for the exams, I think I did pretty well. I'll be reporting to Tokyo University in two days."
Toru said it calmly, as if it were nothing.
When he finished, even the nearby customers glanced at him.
Attending Shuchiin Academy meant his family was rich or influential. A famous private school in Tokyo and across Japan.
And with that background, he could still get into Tokyo University. That meant he wasn't just privileged, he was also highly capable.
Shizuka froze.
She hadn't expected the guy she casually flirted with to be so impressive.
Attending Shuchiin wasn't surprising for someone from a wealthy family.
But getting into Tokyo University was something else entirely.
"This isn't doing well. This is doing incredibly well."
Shizuka sighed. "...If even one of my students could get into Tokyo University, I'd feel like my teaching career wasn't wasted."
The boss brought a bowl of noodles and placed it in front of Toru, then looked at Shizuka and said, "He's a Tokyo University top student. He probably wouldn't be interested in you. Looks like you still won't find a boyfriend."
Shizuka slammed the counter. "Shut up! Bring me a bottle of beer. No, two bottles. I need to drink tonight!"
(To be continued.)
Junkdog's Note: I know some chapters are super short. I could merge them, but that would only make numbering harder. So here's the deal: for any chapter shorter than normal, I'll be uploading an extra chapter or two. And don't worry, the word count goes back up real quick. Until then, I'll make up for it with more updates.
I'll also appreciate it if you can leave a review and drop some Power Stones if you enjoy this. Thank you so much : )